Knicks-Pacers rivalry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

During the 1990s, both the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers were perennial playoff teams. The Knicks, led by All-Star center Patrick Ewing, met with the Reggie Miller-led Pacers in the playoffs six times from 1993 to 2000, fueling a rivalry epitomized by the enmity between Miller and prominent Knicks fan Spike Lee. The bitter rivalry was likened by Miller to the Hatfield-McCoy feud^[1], and described by The New York Times, in 1998 as being "as combustible as any in the league".^[2]

The rivalry has given Miller the nickname "The Knick Killer".^[3][4] Miller's clutch performances were frequently followed by jabs at Lee, adding fuel to the greater team rivalry.

Contents 1 1993 NBA Playoffs First Round: First Meeting 2 1994 Eastern Conference Finals: Miller Time 3 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals: The Knick Killer 4 Aftermath 5 References

[edit] 1993 NBA Playoffs First Round: First Meeting

The two teams first met in postseason play in the first round of the 1993 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks, led by Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks, Doc Rivers, and Coach of the Year Pat Riley had amassed a 60-22 record-the best in the Eastern Conference-and earned the top seed in the East.^[5] The Pacers, with Miller, the "Dunkin' Dutchman" Rik Smits, versatile Detlef Schrempf, and Dale Davis barely squeaked into the playoffs with a 41-41 record, thanks to the tiebreaker over the Orlando Magic.^[6] The Knicks won the first two games at Madison Square Garden before the Pacers won the first of two contests at Market Square Arena. The Knicks, however, took Game 4 and advanced to defeat the Charlotte Hornets before bowing out to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. (The playoff format had a best-of-five first round until 2003.) The Pacers would fire their head coach Bob Hill and hire the nomadic but legendary Larry Brown.

[edit] 1994 Eastern Conference Finals: Miller Time

The Pacers would get their first chance of revenge against the Knicks the following year in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Brown had Schrempf traded for Derrick McKey and also added rookie forward Antonio Davis, veteran Byron Scott, and journeyman point guard Haywoode Workman. They finished with a record of 47-35 and the fifth seed in the East, winning the final eight games of the regular season. They swept Orlando and upset the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks, winning in six games.^[7]

Meanwhile, the Knicks, following Jordan's first retirement, were heavily favored to win the East. Rivers was lost for the season with a knee injury in December, but the Knicks were able to acquire Derek Harper from the Dallas Mavericks to replace him. Despite winning the Atlantic Division, they lost the top seed in the East to the Hawks; both teams finished 57-25 and split the season series 2-2, but the Hawks won the tiebreaker. The Knicks beat the New Jersey Nets three games to one, then they finally beat the Bulls in a seven game series to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Pacers where waiting.^[8]

Both teams won each of their first two home games (the Knicks won Games 1 and 2, the Pacers Games 3 and 4). However, in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, Miller became a household name on June 1, 1994 when he scored 39 points total and 25 in the fourth quarter of the Pacers' 93-86 victory at Madison Square Garden. Miller made several long three-pointers during the quarter and engaged in an animated discussion of his ongoing performance with Spike Lee, who was seated courtside. The win gave the Pacers a 3-2 series lead over the Knicks, but the Pacers lost the next two games and thus the series.

[edit] 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals: The Knick Killer

By virtue of the previous year's seven game series between the two teams, the Knicks and Pacers were now rivals, but the Pacers had yet to answer their foe's last two playoff series wins. The Pacers addressed their need for a point guard by acquiring then-former Knick Mark Jackson from the Los Angeles Clippers. The returning Pacers also stepped up their game. Smits enjoyed his best NBA season, averaging career highs of 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds, Miller continued to lead the team with 19.6 points per game with a .415 three-point percentage (15th in the league) and a .897 free throw percentage (4th in the league) and was a starter in the 1995 NBA All-Star Game and member of the All-NBA Third Team. Derrick McKey played both the third scorer and provider of intangibles, placing third on the team in both scoring and rebounding, second in assists, and first in steals, earning a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Winning the first division title and achieving its first 50-win season since joining the NBA from the ABA with a record of 52-30, the second-seeded Pacers swept the Hawks in the first round.^[9]

The Knicks, fresh from the previous year's Finals appearance, worked hard for a return to the Finals. Forward Anthony Mason, eventually named the 1995 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 9.9 points and 8.4 rebounds, while Ewing (top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and shotblocking), Starks (15.3 points per game), and others would put up their usually efficient production. Placing second in the Atlantic Division to the Magic with a 55-27 record and the third seed, the Knicks would dispatch of the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games.^[10] With the better record, the Knicks had home court advantage over the Pacers again, setting the stage for another memorable series.

In Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, it was Miller Time again as Reggie Miller amazingly scored 8 points in the final 16.4 seconds: a three-pointer followed by an interception of the Knicks' inbounds pass and another three-pointer and two free throws, erasing a 6-point Knicks lead and stealing the victory, 107-105. The stunned Knicks would settle for a two-game home split (96-77), but the Pacers would win the next two at Market Square Arena by scores of 97-95 and 98-84. The Knicks would escape Game 5, 96-95, and win Game 6 on the road, 92-82, but the Pacers would prevail in Game 7 at the Garden, 97-95, after Ewing missed a potential-tying driving layup as time expired. Knicks Head Coach Riley resigned the day after the Finals ended, and Don Nelson, having recently stepped down from the Golden State Warriors head coaching position, soon became Riley's successor.

[edit] Aftermath

The Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999 (incidentally, after Michael Jordan's first and second retirements, respectively). The Knicks were defeated in a grueling seven game series to Houston in '94 and an uneventful five game series to San Antonio in '99. The Pacers finally reached the NBA finals by defeating the Knicks in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, eventually losing to the Lakers in the Finals. The playoff battles between these two franchises led to some of the greatest moments in NBA playoff history, such as Larry Johnson's four-point play in the waning seconds of Game Three of 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, Miller's 25 points in the fourth quarter of Game Five of 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, and Miller's eight points in the last 16 seconds to win Game One of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

[edit] References